Bollywood Female Celebrities Who Bid Goodbye To Us In 2021
Posted On: 28 Dec 2021 | Last Updated : 09 Mar 2022 | Views : 1.3k
The years 2020 and 2021 were surely the most difficult for many of us. With the novel coronavirus, people have to bear losses and toughest was losing a loved one. Similarly, the Bollywood industry too lost several gems this year. COVID-19 increased the death rates, and none, not even your favorite celebrity can fight death. There were many Bollywood celebrities who died after testing positive for coronavirus in 2021, while some died natural deaths. The Bollywood celebrities majorly live their lives in the eyes of the public. Netizens always want to know more and more about the lives of Bollywood celebrities, who remain in the spotlight even after their demise. From actress Shashikala to Surekha Sikri and playback singer Jagjit Kaur, we lost several female Bollywood celebrities in 2021. Here, we present the list of female Bollywood celebrities who died in 2021.
1. Shashikala (Actress) (Born – 4th August 1932, Died – 4th April 2021)
Born in Solapur, Maharashtra, Shashikala Saigal, better known by her first name was a veteran actress. After her father went bankrupt, she moved to Bombay along with her family and started looking for work in movies. She had acted in hundreds of Bollywood films starting from the 1940s. Her notable works include Aarti (1962), Gumrah (1963), Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1965), Phool Aur Patthar (1967), Neel Kamal (1969), Rahgir (1969), Khubsoorat (1980), Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (1988), Baadshah (1999), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and many more. She was married to Om Prakash Saigal of K. L. Saigal’s family and had two daughters with him. At the age of 88, the Bollywood actress died on 4th April 2021 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Many Hindi cinema personalities shared their grief through social media posts.
2. Sumitra Bhave (Director) (Born – 12th January 1943, Died – 19th April 2021)
The National Film Award-winner film director and writer Sumitra Bhave of the infamous filmmaker duo Sumitra Bhave – Sunil Sukthankar. The duo has predominantly worked in Marathi cinema and directed several Marathi films that earned them a number of accolades. They have also directed the 1997 Hindi film Zindagi Zindabad, starring actors like Mita Vashisht, Milind Gunaji, Nissar Khan and Om Puri. At the age of 78, Sumitra Bhave died on 19th April 2021 due to lung fibrosis and respiratory failure. After a brief illness, the filmmaker was admitted and breathed her last in Sahyadri Hospital in Pune.
3. Abhilasha Patil (Actress) (Born – 1974, Died – 4th May 2021)
Born in Kolkata, the Indian actress Abhilasha Patil had predominantly worked in Marathi and Hindi films. The actress is known for appearing in supporting roles in Bollywood movies like Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017), Chhichhore (2019) and Good Newwz (2019). On 4th May 2021, the actress passed away at the age of 47 due to COVID-19 complications. The news of her demise was confirmed by actor-director Shashank Udapurkar, who had worked with her in one of her Marathi films. She is survived by her son and husband.
4. Sripradha (Actress) (Born – 1967, Died – 5th May 2021)
One of the top actresses of Bhojpuri cinema, Sripradha also earned popularity in Bollywood with her on-screen boldness. She has appeared in movies like Aag Ke Sholay (1988), Aakhri Ghulam (1989), Jaaydaad (1989), Khatarnaak (1990), Sapnon Ka Mandir (1991), Dharam Sankat (1991), Tilak (1992), Bhagyawan (1994), Sholay Aur Toofan (1994), Bewafa Sanam (1995), etc. At the age of 54, the actress died on 5th May 2021 due to COVID-19 complications. The news of her demise was confirmed by Cine and TV Artists Association General Secretary Amit Behl in an interview.
5. Rinku Singh Nikumbh (Actress) (Born – 1986/1987, Died – 2nd June 2021)
Rinku Singh Nikumbh was an Indian actress, known for appearing in small supporting roles in Bollywood films. She is best known for acting in Raaj Shaandilyaa’s comedy film Dream Girl (2019), starring Ayushmann Khurrana. The actress passed away at the age of 35 due to COVID-19 complications. She was tested positive for the novel coronavirus on 25th May 2021 and was under home quarantine, but later she was admitted to a hospital in Assam and breathed her last on 2nd June 2021.
6. Tarla Joshi (Actress) (Died – 6th June 2021)
Tarla Joshi was an Indian television and film actress. She started her career as a costume designer and later, gained interest in acting. She soon became a household name after featuring in some of the super hit television shows. She has also acted in movies like Hum Jo Keh Na Paaye (2005) and Gandhi, My Father (2007). The actress passed away on 6th June 2021 following a heart attack. She was reportedly in her early 90s. The news of her demise soon became headlines and many of her co-stars remembered her and expressed their sorrow through Instagram posts.
7. Swatilekha Sengupta (Actress) (Born – 22nd May 1950, Died – 16th June 2021)
Swatilekha Sengupta was an Indian actress, who has predominantly worked in Bengali theatre and films. She is remembered for her memorable role in her debut film Ghare Baire (1985), directed by Satyajit Ray. Other than appearing in several Bengali movies, she has also acted in the 2014 Hindi film Chauranga and the 1992 English film City of Joy. The renowned theatre and film actress died at the age of 71. She was reportedly suffering from kidney ailment and was in the hospital for the last 21 days. Her condition kept deteriorating and the Bollywood actress passed away on 16th June 2021. She is survived by her husband, actor-director Rudraprasad Sengupta, and daughter, actress Sohini Sengupta.
8. Surekha Sikri (Actress) (Born – 19th April 1945, Died – 16th July 2021)
The veteran theatre, film and television actress, Surekha Sikri was the recipient of several awards. She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress thrice, for her role in Tamas (1988), Mammo (1995) and Badhaai Ho (2018). Other important movies featuring her include Sarfarosh (1999), Zubeidaa (2001), Raincoat (2004), Jo Bole So Nihaal (2005), Ghost Stories (2020), etc. At the age of 76, the actress breathed her last in Mumbai following a cardiac arrest. She was ailing for a long time as she suffered two brain strokes in 2018 and 2020 respectively, and the cardiac arrest made the complications worse leading to her death on 16th July 2021. She was surely one of the top 10 Bollywood actresses who died in 2021. The actress’ demise was mourned by many film and television personalities and paid their tribute to her through their social media posts.
9. Jayanthi (Actress) (Born – 6th January 1945, Died – 26th July 2021)
Born as Kamala Kumari, Jayanthi was an Indian actress who was popular in South Indian cinema. She appeared in over 500 films of different languages, including Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, and Hindi. She had acted in movies like Lal Bangla (1966), Teen Bahuraniyan (1968), Tumse Achha Kaun Hain (1969) and Gunda (1970). At the age of 76, the actress passed away due to an age-related illness. Reportedly, she was ill for a long time and wasn’t keeping well. She breathed her last on 26th July 2021 at her residence in Bengaluru.
10. Kalyani Menon (Playback Singer) (Born – 23rd June 1941, Died – 2nd August 2021)
Indian playback singer, Kalyani Menon was an established classical singer who worked extensively with A. R. Rahman during the 1990s and early 2000s. Her career started in the late 1970s and she had sung over 100 songs in her career span. She was the mother of famous cinematographer Rajeev Menon. She has sung several Malayalam and Tamil-language songs and her only Hindi song was in the Pratiek Babbar and Amy Jackson starrer Ekk Deewana Tha (2012) – ‘Phoolon Jaisi Ladki’. The singer breathed her last on 2nd August 2021, at the age of 80 in a private hospital in Chennai. According to the reports, she was fighting with paralysis for a longtime.
11. Padma Sachdev (Lyricist) (Born – 17th April 1940, Died – 4th August 2021)
Padma Sachdev was an infamous poet, lyricist, and novelist, who was regarded as the first modern poet of the Dogri language. She was married to musician Surinder Singh of Singh Bandhu, a popular musical duo composed of brothers Tejpal Singh and Surinder Singh. She wrote the lyrics of two songs of the 1978 Hindi film Aankhon Dekhi, which had music by J. P. Kaushik and later, in 1979 she wrote lyrics for the film Saahas (1979), which had music by Ameen Sangeet. In 2001, she was honoured with Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contributions as a writer. Noted for her work, this Indian lyricist passed away on 4th August 2021 at the age of 81 in Mumbai. She was hospitalized on August 3rd, 2021 following some health complications and the following day she breathed her last in the same hospital.
12. Jagjit Kaur (Playback Singer) (Born – May 1930, Died – 15th August 2021)
The veteran Indian playback singer and wife of late music director Mohammed Zahur Khayyam, Jagjit Kaur had sung several Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu songs in her career spanning over four decades. Some of her most popular songs include ‘Ladi Re Ladi Tujhse Aankh Jo ladi’ and ‘Pahle Toh Aankh Milana’ from Shola Aur Shabnam (1961) ‘Dekho Dekho ji Gori Sasural Chali’ from Shagoon (1964), ‘Nain Milake Pyar Jata Ke Aag Laga Dee’ from Mera Bhai Mera Dushman (1967), ‘Kaahe Ko Byahi Bides’ from Umrao Jaan (1981), ‘Chale Aao Saiyan Rangeele’ from Bazaar (1982), etc. The singer passed away on 15th August 2021 at the age of 91 following age-related illness.
13. Aruna Bhatia (Producer) (Born - 1942, Died – 8th September 2021)
Mother of actor Akshay Kumar, Aruna Bhatia was a film producer, who has produced several Bollywood films. She has produced films like Holiday: A Soldier is Never off Duty (2014), Airlift (2016), Rustom (2016), Naam Shabana (2017), The Lottery (2018), Mission Mangal (2019), Good Newwz (2019), Sooryavanshi (2021), etc. She has mainly produced films starring her son, Akshay Kumar. The film producer passed away on 8th September 2021. The news of her demise was shared by Akshay Kumar through an emotional note on Twitter. Her death was mourned by many Bollywood celebs, who showed their grief by posting on social media.
14. Farrukh Jaffar (Actress) (Born – December 1933, Died – 15th October 2021)
The Indian actress Farrukh Jaffar started her career as a radio presenter. She started her acting career in Bollywood with a supporting role in the 1981 film Umrao Jaan. She has also acted in movies like Swades (2004), Peepli Live (2009), Sultan (2016), Secret Superstar (2017), Gulabo Sitabo (2020), etc. For her role in Gulabo Sitabo, she won Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 88 and became the oldest actress to win a Filmfare. The actress passed away on 15th October 2021 at the age of 88 in Lucknow due to age-related illness.
15. Minoo Mumtaz (Actress) (Born – 26th April 1942, Died – 23rd October 2021)
The Indian actress and dancer, Minoo Mumtaz was the prominent member of cinematic Ali-Amrohi family. She was the daughter of dancer-actor Mumtaz Ali and the sister of actor-comedian Mehmood Ali. She started her career as a stage dancer and later, appeared in films as a dancer or in supporting roles. Movies featuring her include Naya Daur (1957), Ek-Saal (1957), Howrah Bridge (1958), Adalat (1958), Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam (1962), Taj Mahal (1963), Preet Na Jane Reet (1966), and many more. The actress breathed her last on 23rd October 2021 at the age of 79 in Canada, where she was spending her last days. The news of her demise was shared by her younger brother Anwar Ali through a post on social media.
16. Mannu Bhandari (Writer) (Born – 3rd April 1931, Died – 15th November 2021)
Mannu Bhandari was an Indian author, screenplay writer, and playwright. Her story ‘Yehi Sach Hai’ was adapted into a film Rajnigandha (1974), directed by Basu Chatterjee. Another Basu Chatterjee’s movie Jeena Yahan (1979) was also based on her story named ‘Ekhane Aakash Neyi’. She was the dialogue writer for Basu Chatterjee’s 1977 film Swami. She had a huge contribution in giving bold and pragmatic heroines in the Hindi literary world. The writer breathed her last on 15th November 2021 at the age of 90 in Gurgaon due to age-related illness.
17. Madhavi Gogate (Actress) (Born – August 1963, Died – 21 November 2021)
Madhavi Gogate was an Indian television and film actress. She started her career in the late 1980s, and has been active in the film industry since then. Madhavi has acted in movies like Ghanchakkar (1990), Krishna Cottage (2004), Chalta Hai Yaar (2005), etc. The actress majorly gained popularity by her performance in the television serials. At the age of 58, she died on 21st November 2021 in Mumbai due to COVID-19 complications.
